Amanda Garrett, The Plain Dealer

About Me:

Amanda Garrett has covered everything from small-town squabbles to big-city corruption in and around Greater Cleveland. She specializes in complicated stories involving legal issues, race, terror funding, conflicts of interest and tales of woe and redemption. Most recently, she has been following a myriad of issues involving the battle over Cuyahoga County government reform. She also stays nimble by covering breaking news on some weekends. Garrett can be reached at agarrett@plaind.com or 216-999-4814.

I noticed that, too. Here's a theory: TV uses stock images to represent certain crimes -- TV may use the same online image repeatedly to represent a shooting. We do something similar. We often post a pic of yellow police tape on our on-line posts for crime news.

Hi. The company did have insurance, but it was less than you might think. I spoke with Rita's attorney two days ago and If I recall correctly, Net Trucking had a $1 million policy (which is more than the minimum insurance requirment under federal law for semi trucks). There was an underlying legal battle over the policy and who should receive what. Rita ultimately received most of insurance payout.

Yours is an excellent question, but I can't answer it. Authorities either haven't determined or aren't yet willing to say whether this woman died from natural causes, homicide or suicide. We'll let you know as soon as we know.

You're welcome. Instant news can sometimes put us in an awkward position -- as this story did. Clearly, there is easily accessible public information available on Mr. Moncrief. But should we include it if there is nothing to establish a link the the news matters at hand? Sometimes, I think we would -- if a crime had been high profile and/or if the timeline seemed to hint at some sort of connection to the homicide. Of course, that's not the case here. All of that said, we're still feeling our way through the brave, new world of no-deadline, ever-changing news. And feedback from readers like you can help us hone our reporting.

FYI: I am aware of his criminal history and had already posed this question to both police and CMHA. Moreover, I have asked whether felons and/or sex offenders are eligible for CMHA housing. I am awaiting those answers.

What a good idea! The USO appears to have things under control for now, a volunteer at the airport USO lounge told me just before 10 p.m. But that doesn't mean the USO couldn't use your help for other things. I linked the organization's Web site in the story, but you can also get there yourself by typing in the Web address: usocleveland.org If you prefer to make a phone call, you can reach USO lounge at the airport at 216-433-7313; or the USO local headquarters at 800-503-8766.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.